FAME, the marketing arm of the FAI, the World Air Sports Federation has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the FAI Aeromodelling Commission (CIAM), during the 2013 CIAM Annual Meeting held Friday, April, 20th.

The 2013 Annual Meeting of the FAI Aeromodelling Commission (CIAM) was held on 19 and 20 April 2013 in Lausanne, Switzerland. This year saw a particularly high number of delegates and a total attendance of around 90 people.

The FAI has released a new publication, the 2012 FAI Annual Report, designed to present the most notable achievements, developments, facts and challenges of the past year. It is meant to be a reference book for all those who are interested in air sports events and the FAI.

It includes an overview of each air sport, lists of competition results, awards and records, photographs and a lot of other useful information.

The diagram of F3N optional manoeuvre B.7 Vertical Tic-Tac Eight was drawn incorrectly in the 2013 Edition. The corrected diagram is available on the Documents Page and scroll down to F3 Radio Control Helicopters, Other Documents.

It is often thought that aeromodelling only ever involves seconds, metres and performing geometrically precise aerobatics manoeuvres as accurately as possible. In our modern society, this limited perception of the term "sport" is no longer relevant. On the contrary – in this day and age, the sport of "aeromodelling" has to be understood much more broadly. It can involve anything from aerobatics with a simple and cheap ready-built model to the creation of the most imaginative and elaborate aircraft designs.

Airshows attract spectators

Every year, there are numerous shows with aircraft controlled from the ground. At these events, pilots control their machines with the same professional skill as their colleagues sitting in real cockpits. These airshows provide excellent insights into the variety and unlimited scope for imagination of aeromodelling. Unlike official World Championships and other competitions, such shows are able to attract tens of thousands of spectators who are not only interested in flying but always show great enthusiasm for the creativity and tremendous spectacle being displayed.

For many years, model airplanes have been flown in wintertime on the frozen lake in Davos in the Swiss alps. The conditions may be a bit special but are not nearly as nasty as aeromodellers in warmer hemispheres may think.

Thermals when flying in Winter?

"These are less likely in midwinter – but ridge and wave soaring from the bottom of the valley are possible," says a local model pilot, "but the stable weather conditions bring high-altitude winds in which we can sometimes – keeping a safe distance from the mountain – fly to very high altitudes with lift continuously increasing with altitude".

Before anyone would be objecting of the title, I hasten to define, that the expression does not designate the quality but the location. Certainly, those who are touched by the enterprise to be introduced in the following, are (yet) far from the level of technical expertise that is required for competing at the highest level, however, even beginners are found among them. The highest level in this case refers to: the highest level of education. That specific location is the University of Obuda Banki Donat Mechanical – and Safety Technology Engineering Department, formerly the Technical College of Budapest, where since 2010 – to the best of our knowledge in Hungary (perhaps even in Europe) it is first - that the curriculum of airplane modeling is introduced.

But how did the boot get on the table?

The expression of airplane modeling conjures up the image, in the mind of the general public, of some bright faced children running after their little models, and in some cases – with some level of understanding – view this as the hobbys of some grown men who have too much free time on their hands; and only the dedicated few claim that it is a sport, competitive; and morover if it were to be judged by the olympic standards, it would be realized that airplane modeling, perhaps, is one of our most accomplished sports.

When the days in the Northern hemisphere shorten and the sun becomes more elusive, we like to remember the wonderful light and warmth of the sun. Solar energy is one of the foundations of life and humankind's most important energy source - both in the past and in future.

Flying with solar power – it’s not new

Even the wind that makes leaves swirl through the air, lets birds circle above us and helps gliders achieve rapid climbs is produced through the sun's heat. When viewed this way, flying with solar power goes back to the beginnings of flying. First attempts to supply electrically powered aircraft using photovoltaics date back to the mid-1970s. Today, flight pioneer Bertrand Piccard is even planning a circumnavigation of the world with his manned aircraft "Solar IMPULSE".

AEROSTATS are lighter than air models. We have two main types of aerostats: Hot air balloons and Airships. Airships obtain their sustentation from gas (or from hot air), have propulsion units and can be directed.

Next, we have three types of airships:

Blimps have an inflatable envelope and their shape is obtain by the pressure of the gas inside the envelope. Blimps are the most common airship models and the easiest to build

Hot air airships obtain their lift from hot air produced in an inflatable envelope